Monday, February 13, 2017

Kasparov v. Trump

Garry Kasparov is known not just for his feats on the chess
board — he became the youngest world chess champion ever in 1985 at age
twenty-two, holding the title until 2000 — but for opposing Vladmir Putin's tyranny and before Putin,
that of the Soviets. A citizen of the United States now — it would be dangerous
for him to remain in Russia — he has a wealth of experience in supporting democracy
against its enemies.

It should be said that Kasparov's politics veer to the right;
he has supported John McCain's run for presidency, for example. But politics
are transmuted in the age of Trump, and if you care about preserving democratic
values, Kasparov is a wizened ally.

Here are excerpts from a recent interview:

We gave Putin a chance in Russia, and it was the last free
election we ever had. It’s far better to act and later admit you overreacted
than to do nothing until it’s impossible to act.

Modern dictatorships have become far more sophisticated
still in how to achieve their ends. They learned that by constant bombardment,
your senses become overwhelmed. You start to doubt, to shrug your shoulders, to
tune out, and that makes you vulnerable. Instead of pushing one lie, one fake,
they can push a dozen, or a hundred, and that’s pretty good odds against one
lonely truth. They win when you say: “Who can be sure what really happened?”

But honestly, the carnage in America isn’t my greatest
worry. Even the power of the presidency has considerable limits inside US
borders. It’s the rest of the world I’m more concerned about, because it may
look very different very quickly with Trump stomping around. If he continues
this “America first” claptrap, regional powers like Russia, China, and Iran
will grab the chance to expand influence, including militarily. The European
Union may fall apart, and the far right may continue to make advances across
Europe.